Russell R. Shippee
Author, Speaker, Navigator

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Oct. 12TH

My Legacy

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The ONION is the story of the week. It's also a lifetime job. Read more.

I had the pleasure of speaking to theYHP, Young House Professionalsfrom the Providence Ronald McDonald House. For those who are not aware, the Ronald McDonald House is a home away from home for parents of critically ill children. It's a wonderful organization. It was no surprise that these Young House Professionals were also. I was the presenter, but I learned from them. They are our future, and we'll be in good hands.

Encore! Aimee Mullins' TED video was a big hit last week. Due to it's popularity I have included it again in this weeks letter. Over 30% of you viewed it, but its worth 100% of you taking the time. A number of you wrote to tell me how inspiring it was. Be sure to share it. It's a TED best of the best speech and worth repeating.

Last week was busy on the radio, three interviews, all on writing an obituary. It's an interesting subject. So, we'll have a TeleSeminar on how to do it, and the BIG value for us, the living, to write it now, and every year.

Friday I finally scheduled time to go sailing. Our mid west relatives had arrived; and I took Bill with me.His brother-in-law came two years ago when I fell overboard. As we left the mooring, I realized we had no steering. We were in a mooring field, meaning boats at anchor all around us, and I had no way to steer the boat, only the engine to go forward or backwards.

Feeling the spirit of my mother (an old sailor), and hearing her words, haste makes waste, brought on a calmness. It allowed me to assess the situation and realize my options. It was then I knew running her aground would be top on the list. The boat would not be hurt and we'd be safe. The relief of now having a plan with options, allowed me to focus on finding the problem. I calmly took a deep breath and was able to fix the steering enough to get into an open area, get the tool kit out, and handle the problem. Whew! — Meanwhile a nearby sailor on his boat had been watching me while preparing his raft to come assist us. Sure, he was worried we'd hit him, but he also saw our distress and was willing to assist. Sailors always help other sailors. It's one of the nice parts of being a sailor. Always lending a helping hand is a wonderful way to live. Yes, I think it's the relatives that bring me bad luck!

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared with what lies within us." —Oliver Wendall Holmes

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't." —Henry Ford

"Age is a question of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." —Mark Twain

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." —Gandhi

What the rich teach their kids about money that the poor and Middle class do not!

—Robert T. Kiyosaki

AuthorRobert T. Kiyosakaretired at the age of 47. His message is clear, "Take responsibility for your finances or take orders all your life. Your either a master of money or a slave to it". Rich Dad, Poor Dad teaches us about taking responsibility for our financial affairs, not about getting rich quick. It's a starting point for gaining control of a financial future by changing the way you think about money. Become financially free. Read the book and quickly apply the principles for life.

Russell Shippee

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ONION

How long does it take to peel an onion?

How long depends upon how many layers, and how fast one peels.

An onion is like your life. To get a good look at your life and the root cause of where you are, you need to peel the onion. Some us of have more layers than others, some are slow in peeling, and some avoid it.

Peeling the onion, going to the root issue of who you are, and why you are where you are, is a challenge. Many don’t want to know. Many won’t do the work. Most only scratch the surface.

We think we have found the root cause and we let it go at that. Then, as time goes on, we find ourselves peeling more and more of the onion. The more we peel, the more we find, and the more work there is to do.

Like peeling an onion, sometimes one has to stop and cry. Peeling to look at ourselves is the same. Sometimes we have to stop. Sometimes it’s too painful to continue. Sometimes we need to cry, ot we just need time to asses and adjust.

The value is in the peeling, the looking, the seeing, and the processing. The more we do, the more insight we have, the better off we are. Things are not always as they seem on the surface, or even under the first layer. Often, the big issues are well buried under many layers.

The peeling is therapeutic. It’s understanding yourself, why you are where you are today, and why you have done what you have done. It’s worth the work and the understanding.

To move forward we have to take action moving forward in the right direction.

Sometimes, to move forward, we have to first find out where we are, what has gotten us to this place, so that we can better prepare and take the steps to move forward. Knowing where we are, and why, gives us the information to guide us to the next steps. We can’t take the next steps effectively until we know how we got here.

Peeling the onion is not living in the past or wasting time. It’s learning the history so that the history can teach us to move forward more effectively. Our history illustrates issues that are not worth repeating. Peeling the onion will confirm those lessons so that we can move on to new lessons.

We never finish peeling the onion. There is always more to be done, and we know when it’s time, when the work will help us to move forward.

As you peel the onion any tears should be tears of joy, for you are learning, you are understanding, and you are growing. The tears of joy will help to carry you forward, onward, and upward.